13 more bodies of Balasore train tragedy handed over to families

At least 13 more bodies of the June 2 Balasore train accident kept at AIIMS Bhubaneswar were handed over to their family members on Saturday, official sources said.

Of the 29 bodies identified using DNA sampling, six were handed over to their families on Friday and 13 on Saturday, a railway official said.

“On the basis of DNA test results and with coordination with AIIMS Bhubaneswar, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) and GRP, 13 bodies of the Bahanaga train accident victims have been handed over to the kin of the deceased on Saturday,” the railway official said.

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Of the 13 bodies, four have been sent to Bihar, eight to West Bengal and one to Jharkhand, he said.

An ex gratia amount of Rs 10 lakh each have been paid to the kin of the family members as announced by the railways, the official said.

Stating that the process of handing over of the bodies will continue till claimants come, the official said as many as 62 bodies still remain unidentified and preserved in the containers in AIIMS Bhubaneswar.

Of the 293 persons killed in the accident involving Shalimar-Chennai-bound Coromandel Express, Bengaluru-Howrah Superfast Express and a stationary goods train, 287 had died on the spot or brought dead to hospital while six succumbed to injuries in hospitals.

The accident took place near Bahanaga Bazar station in Balasore district on June 2 evening.